On World AIDS Day, we join the global community to pay tribute to the more than 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and reaffirm our commitment to helping those in need. It is a time of remembrance, as well as an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come and the steps we must take today to realize an AIDS free generation.

Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launches the contest phase of the Countering Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Campus Challenge—a technology contest where students can submit new ideas and innovative ways to end modern slavery at www.challengeslavery.org. The contest will be open from November 28, 2012 to January 8, 2013. USAID will award one first place prize of $5,000 to the top entry, and $2,500 to one or more runner-up entries. Additionally, winners will be invited to showcase and discuss their ideas with USAID and various implementing and donor partners. The contest asks students to address how technology can be part of a potential solution to the various challenges related to CTIP, whether concerning slavery in product supply chains, trafficking in conflict and crisis-affected areas, child sex tourism, building a global CTIP movement, ending forced child labor, countering the business model of TIP or raising awareness among potential victims.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Higher Education Partnerships to Support the U.S.-Burma Commitment to Democracy, Peace and Prosperity, furthering President Obama’s call to “extend a hand” to Burma in its progress toward democracy.

Administrator Shah Travels to Turkey to meet with Turkish officials and Visit Refugee Areas along the Turkish Border

From November 25th-27th Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will travel to Turkey where he will meet with senior officials to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria and assistance for those affected by the crisis.

The U.S. Agency for International Development today announces its commitment to support the operations of the Migration and Development Fund (MDF) administered by the African Development Bank. This commitment to the MDF is part of USAID efforts to work more closely with diaspora communities to promote their engagement in the development of their countries of origin.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced additional support towards INTERPOL’s Project Predator to support the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) in protecting wild tigers.

During his visit to Burma, President Barack Obama announced a joint US-Burma partnership to advance democratic reform, and lay the groundwork for a peaceful and prosperous future for Burma. The President also announced $170 million dollars over the next two years to support this effort. The Partnership aims to strengthen democracy, human rights and rule of law; promote transparent governance; advance peace and reconciliation; meet humanitarian needs; and provide economic development that can improve the health and livelihoods of the people of Burma.

Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched three mobile phone games through its public-private partnership with the Half the Sky Movement. As part of the Agency’s continued support of gender and family issues, the games are designed to increase global awareness and bring about social change in the areas of health, gender equality and empowerment.

Feed the Future’s new Partnering for Innovation program formally launched today at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The program, supported through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Fintrac Inc., aims to engage the private sector and put transformational technologies into the hands of smallholder farmers in developing countries to quickly and sustainably improve their productivity and incomes.

Seven Top U.S. and Foreign Universities Join Forces with USAID to Create Development Labs and Discover Development Solutions

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announces today the launch of its Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN)— a new groundbreaking partnership with seven top American and foreign universities designed to develop innovative solutions to global development challenges.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced the release of USAID’s Policy on Youth in Development, the first Agency-wide guidance to recognize young people as a driving force in global development and promote youth participation as partners and leaders. The policy’s guiding principles support USAID’s efforts to mainstream youth in development, carry out effective programs, and elevate youth participation throughout the world.

With more than half of the global population under the age of 30 and a majority residing in developing countries, USAID’s release of the policy reinforces that young people must be a central focus when developing country strategies and recognizes the need to support, prepare, engage and protect youth today as well as harness the energy and creativity of young people for positive change.

Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will deliver a plenary address at the Business for Social Responsibility’s (BSR) Conference 2012 on Friday, October 26, at 8:30 am EST. A leader in working with businesses and the private sector to address sustainable economic development in emerging markets, USAID leverages real public-private partnerships to tackle global challenges.

I am pleased to join the CAPRISA consortium in announcing an AIDS study published in the journal Nature Medicine that offers new clues and an important new approach that could help efforts to make an AIDS vaccine. Representing our Agency’s renewed emphasis on harnessing the power of science, technology, and innovation to deliver incredible results in development, the study documents a groundbreaking discovery about the complex relationship between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and potent antibodies that are able to kill 88% of virus types found throughout the world.

The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) was recently named the 2012 Fast CompanyInnovation by Design Award winner in the ‘Service Design’ category. MAMA is a public-private partnership launched on Mothers’ Day last year by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The founding partners include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Johnson & Johnson, the mHealth Alliance, the United Nations Foundation and BabyCenter.

Senator George McGovern was a tremendous leader in the global movement to end hunger and malnutrition, and his partnership and friendship to the U.S. Agency for International Development will be irreplaceable. Senator McGovern’s ties to our Agency date back to his appointment by President John F. Kennedy as the first Director of Food for Peace in 1961. He noted that this time at USAID was key to making him a lifelong champion of combating hunger, a commitment that has shaped global institutions and impacted millions of people around the world.

Today, at a keynote address during the weeklong World Food Prize events in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah released the first progress report and scorecard for Feed the Future, President Obama’s global hunger and food security initiative. Established after renewed international commitments to global agriculture made at the 2009 G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, Feed the Future supports countries in developing their own agriculture sectors in order to generate opportunities for economic growth and trade, which can support increased incomes, and help reduce hunger and undernutrition.

The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), today launched a project to promote early grade reading in Haiti. The initiative, Tout Timoun Ap Li (TOTAL), which means “All Children Reading,” will support the Government of Haiti’s Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) efforts to increase the number of young children reading.

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah will travel to Des Moines, Iowa and Ames, Iowa on October 18, 2012 to participate in World Food Prize-related events. In Des Moines, Administrator Shah will attend the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue where he will deliver the luncheon keynote address at 12:45pm and then participate in a panel discussion. The panel is entitled “Partnership and Priorities: Transforming the Global Food Security Agenda” and highlights the role of partnerships and their importance in confronting hunger challenges by driving forward cutting-edge research and application at the intersection of science, education and enterprise. Administrator Shah will also meet with faith leaders and business executives.